Buying Honeysuckle
by Kisaramix
Summary: Sugar dating wasn't exactly something that Yang Xiao Long had imagined herself doing. However, after an incident that left her struggling to pay bills, she decided to sign up for a sugar dating website. Little did she know what she was in for when she replied to one woman's message - a beautiful, rich cat Faunus with an irresistible smile. Bumbleby, slow burn.
1. It was a joke

**Buying Honeysuckle**

* * *

It was at this point in her life that Yang had pretty much given up. She wasn't going to go as far as commit suicide - that was an overstatement - but she was at a loss. How had the years gone by so fast? After she had graduated highschool with her 200-something class, she decided that she was going to take a gap year and just work. When that year passed, she insisted for one more year to her parents and continued working at a grocery store. After several years of this, she learned that Ruby was already about to graduate college, and she had to come to terms with reality. Yang Xiao Long, valedictorian of her class, well-known in the community, volunteer for local charity Helping Hands, star athlete for Beacon Senior High School, was broke.

"Now look at me," Yang muttered to herself as she hovered her thumb over the link. "What's wrong, Yang? Can't click it?" She clicked the link anyway and stared dumbfoundedly at what lay before her. A beautiful woman was leaning against a slightly older man with a dashing smile, and the two portrayed a loving, mutual relationship. Yang was hypnotized by the site's promotional photos, then shook her head. Time to get to work. She hit the link to sign up and started filling out the form.

The first part was easy. All she had to do was say that she was a woman, she was a sugar baby, and she was looking for women. She added her email, and the website cheerfully redirected her to another page. It asked for a username as well, which Yang thought was pretty useful. Slowly, she began to relax as she typed in something quickly and added a couple of pictures from her Instagram. She hoped her username wasn't too bad. Or cliche. What usernames did they look for the most? Yang quickly decided to move on and put in her birthday (only the year would be displayed, but she put in a different month and day just in case), and her location. After that she put in her physical attributes: she was 5'8", fit and curvy, and she was Human. She glumly added that she was only a high school graduate. Single. No children unless you counted Zwei. Not a smoker, but she did occasionally drink socially. No preference when it came to politics.

' _What are you looking for?_ '

Did she want to travel? Did she want to have sexual relationships? Did she want to want to have shopping sprees? Did she prefer Humans, Faunus, or was she fine with both? Was it an online-only relationship, or would she be willing to meet up? These were only a few of the many questions that she had to answer. Yang wasn't sure exactly how to answer all of them, either. Was she passport-ready? Did sugar babies travel internationally?

Yang answered as many of the questions as she could, skipping some, and finally made it to the last step.

' _Talk about yourself!_ '

She was 24 years old, and she enjoyed working out, taking care of plants, and she liked fashion. She was into anime and she liked EDM music, but she also liked all kinds of music. Her favorite color was lilac, and she liked dogs (but she liked all animals). Yang did her best to make herself seem approachable. She hit enter, and she was in.

Before going on this site, she wouldn't have expected it to be in a dating site format, but that's just what it was. Yang scrolled through several profiles, expecting the many women and couples she found. Once in a while she saw a man and ignored him. What boggled her the most, however, was the fact that there were so many rich people around her. Ⱡ300,000 a year? Net worth Ⱡ2,000,000? Yang whistled lowly as she continued to scroll, suddenly feeling intimidated. This was insane. Maybe she shouldn't have gone on this site. Yang lingered for a while longer and closed the tab once she had enough. Her stomach growled.

"I wonder if Ilia left any pizza. Pyrrha and I need to order more from now on," Yang grumbled as she stood up and went to the fridge. Unsurprisingly, there was no pizza. 2 boxes clearly wasn't enough for them now, especially since they had a new roommate who practically inhaled food like Kirby.

At least Ilia was good at paying her rent and keeping her space clean. Otherwise there would have been a nice, peaceful discussion with the redhead that certainly wouldn't be about the chameleon Faunus.

As she heated up a pot of water on the stove for some quick and easy beef ramen, she felt a buzz in her pocket.

* * *

Blake Belladonna was by no means a sociable person… at first glance, anyway. She preferred to keep to herself most of the time, but every once in a while she liked to hang out with friends.

That, however, was the problem. She liked to hang out with friends, but she kept to herself. That wasn't completely her fault, though. Being the daughter of a prestigious family meant that she had responsibilities to attend to.

"Weiss, I'm tired of this life," Blake muttered as she rested her head in her arms.

"Mhm," Weiss answered. "Believe me, I know. That's why I stopped." Blake pulled her head up and looked at the ex-heiress.

"You had a good reason to leave. On the other hand, I'm fine with my life, but I just get so tired of being busy all the time."

"And that's why you ended up breaking things off with Velvet?" Weiss said.

"No, that was because Velvet wanted to get more involved with her college."

"Same difference. You were both busy. That sort of relationship doesn't work out if you're both busy." Blake bristled a bit at the way Weiss said 'that sort of relationship,' but didn't address it. On the outside, it really did seem to be a bad thing, but Blake saw it more as a… service. A transactional one. She was honest about what she wanted from the get-go, and her sugar babies were as well. Blake had tried to explain to Weiss many, many times that sugar dating wasn't about sex and that it was not a fetishtic relationship (well, it could be). Blake was just far too busy to be able to tend to an actual relationship, and sugar dating was convenient for both parties. Blake paid for someone to take out on dates, and the person in question received money. It was an easy system.

Blake chose to open her scroll and look through the site once more. She was incredibly picky with her girls. Most of them said the same things. They were young, in need of money, and they were looking for fun. Blake ignored them and refreshed her feed, looking at the newcomers. Slut, slut, bot, normal, normal, slut again, and another bot. She paused as she glanced over a normal profile. Firebaby247. Gods, that was so cheesy. Blake smiled, appreciating the girl's humor, and clicked on it now that her interest was piqued. Surprisingly, the blonde was her age, and she wasn't in college.

"Did she finish, or did she even attend?" Blake murmured to herself.

"What?" Weiss called out.

"Just talking to myself," Blake explained to the petite woman. "I'm looking again."

"I thought we were hanging out," Weiss complained. Blake ignored her and read through Firebaby247's profile. She was a newbie at this, as far as Blake could tell. The profile had an innocent vibe to it. Blake decided to pay the Ⱡ5 and message her.

' _Good afternoon. How are you doing today? I saw your profile picture, and I noticed that your eyes are just my favorite shade of lilac. I absolutely adore them_.' Sent.

* * *

Yang showed Pyrrha the message as soon as Pyrrha had come home from work, and the two stared at it in disbelief. One was dumbfounded on how the other had the _balls_ to go through with what was once a joke between two broke friends, and the other was dumbfounded by how quickly she had received a message.

"You're insane," Pyrrha said, shaking her head. "And she's your age? She's doing something right with her life, unlike us,' the tall woman joked. Yang gave Pyrrha a look, and Pyrrha cleared her throat.

"Right. Well, I don't know Yang. I'm not one to judge, and I won't judge you if you go through with this, but… you do know how this looks, right?"

Yang bit her lip and closed the message, then opened it again. The dark haired woman wouldn't be able to see if she read it or not, and Yang had 24 hours to respond to the message before it expired. The brawler was still a bit wary about the website even with all of its safety precautions.

A piercing ringing cut through the silence. Yang watched her scroll light up, not even bothering to answer. Pyrrha watched her with grim viridian eyes, knowing exactly why Yang wasn't answering. The two sat in silence until the scroll finally stopped ringing.

It was quiet and tense for a few seconds before Pyrrha took Yang's scroll and looked at the message again.

"You know, it's basically like dating, right?" Pyrrha offered. "Meet in a public place, get to know each other, all of that. I don't know when you'll discuss payment plans, but surely the woman would know what she was doing. Her profile seems to be genuine. And-" Pyrrha's mouth opened into a soft 'o.'

"What is it?" Yang asked.

"She's a Faunus."

"So? What about it?"

"Hm. She just looked familiar to me. Maybe I've seen her somewhere. What do you think?" Yang took her scroll and looked at the profile picture again. She saw the ears, which she had completely missed before, and she noticed that there was a tiny mole near her armpit that was almost unnoticeable, but other than that she didn't find anything familiar about the woman.

"You're just comparing her to that cat Faunus that works at the roller-skating, you racist." Pyrrha was miffed.

"I am not a rac-"

"It's a joke, Pyr. Geez." Pyrrha looked like she wanted to defend herself again, but the two were interrupted by the sound of the front door shutting.

"Hey guys," Ilia called out from the other room. "I brought Mistrali takeout if you guys want some. I got a lot, so if one of you could please help me get the rest from the car, that'd be fantastic. Also, the cola is mine."

"I'll do it," Yang volunteered, rising from her seat. The topic forgotten, Yang went to the living room to help Ilia, and Pyrrha went to her bedroom to change out of her work clothes and take a shower.

* * *

"So what are you going to do?" Ilia inquiried as she reached over with her chopsticks and nabbed an egg roll. She crunched on the fried food and moaned slightly. Pyrrha glanced at Yang, using her spoon to scoop some white rice into her mouth. Yang picked at her noodles and sighed.

"I really don't know. It was a funny idea last night when we were drunk, but now I can't believe I'm considering it."

"You did more than consider it," Ilia pointed out, proceeding to finish off the egg roll. The Faunus chewed a few times and swallowed. "You set up your profile already. And got a message. Did you get any more after her?"

Yang picked up a bunch of noodles, only to lower them and rest her hand on the edge of the paper plate.

"Two more, actually. One was another woman all the way in East Vale, and the other one was a bot, I think. Or a really creepy man pretending to be a woman. I can't really tell. The East Vale lady is racist, though. She literally wrote 'Only looking for Humans, not animals' on her profile."

"Ew, gross," Ilia replied, her nose wrinkling in disgust. "Gods I hate people like that."

"I can't believe people like that still exist," Pyrrha said, stretching her arms and groaning. "But I suppose some people are unwilling to change. A shame, really, when we're in a time of progress."

"Yeah… Hey, anyone wanna play Eclipse after dinner?"

"Not me, I have a morning shift at the gas station," Pyrrha said.

"I work a double shift at the orphanage," Ilia chimed in. "And I'm dead tired from those twins today. You know what they did to their sister? They tried to convince her to drink a bottle of lemonade, but they put pee in it!" Yang burst out into laughter, and Pyrrha looked disapprovingly at the blonde.

"I'm sorry, it's just… that was actually smart! How did you find out, Ilia?"

"The bottle was warm," the chameleon Faunus dryly responded. This time Pyrrha had to stifle her own laughter.

"Well, maybe the little shits weren't so smart after all."

The three roommates lounged in the living room for a while until Pyrrha announced that she was going to bed. The two bade good night to the redhead.

"Hey Yang, are you going to say yes?" Ilia asked, half an hour after Pyrrha had gone to bed. "I know you're going through tough times now. I know that I've only been here for a couple of months, and we haven't known each other for as long as you and Pyrrha have, but I just wanted to let you know that I'm here for you." Yang appreciated the gesture, and her eyes softened.

"Honestly, I don't know at this point. I'm a little bit scared." Yang laughed a little. "I mean, me, scared? It's laughable, right?" Ilia shook her head.

"This is different from boxing and bungee-jumping and whatever other crazy things you've done. You get a kick from thrill seeking, don't you? But this is a business relationship, and you're the product that's being bought."

"I'm the product, huh?" Yang echoed. Was she able to be a product? A sweet girl who had to be interested in this woman, go on dates… and get paid for it?

After Ilia excused herself to retire for the night, Yang was still pondering her next move. She had already denied the other requests. The ball was in her court, and she didn't know what to do with it.

Reply.

Ignore.

Easy money, or uncharted territory?

Was it easy?

It wasn't.

Yang pressed the 'Enter' key and went to bed, putting her trust into Fate's hands. If she responded, great. If not, Yang would find some other way to get rid of her debt.

She'd shower in the morning before her shift.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hello again! It's been a while, hasn't it? I've been getting back into the RWBY fandom... slowly but surely...

Anyways, I present to you "Buying Honeysuckle"! It took me a while to figure out a name for this fic, but after a few minutes of debating, I decided this would fit this sort of AU. If you've read "Side by Side", thank you for reading it! That fic was my baby, and my pride and joy. However, I wanted to move forward and branch into a new AU. Unlike SbS, in this AU there are Faunus. Yay for Blake's cat ears!

If you ever want to reach out to me, you can always PM me here on FF, Tumblr, or Twitter. Same username, same Kisaramix. And as always, feel free to leave a comment/review/criticism/greeting!


	2. The first date

_'Hello! I'm doing fine, thank you. I'll be honest, I'm not too sure what to do. I'm a total rookie when it comes to this. Still, I'm glad that you've given me a chance. How are you doing tonight?'_

It was too cute. Just like Blake thought, the woman was inexperienced. That didn't matter much, since she did seem genuine. Blake liked that about people in general. There were far too many fake, plastic models of people in this world, and people like Firebaby247 were just the kind that Blake sought after. The feline Faunus prided herself in being somewhat of a gateway sugar mama, and she would happily show Firebaby247 the ropes. Blake sent a quick reply to her message along with her number, and she put away her scroll and went downstairs. Her mother was in her traditional attire, and her dad was away at work already.

"Good morning," she greeted her mother.

"Good morning Blake! Did you want any breakfast before you head out?" Kali asked, already rising from her cushion. Blake shook her head.

"I'm fine. Another ceremony?" Blake queried, looking at her mother's hair piece and the equipment on the table. As a living deity of fertility, Kali was often busy blessing children of all ages, but primarily first-borns.

"We've had a lot of families with twins and triplets lately. I'll be downtown for the next few hours. How are Weiss and Coco doing, dear? I haven't seen them in ages. Have you been treating Velvet well too-"

"Mom, I would love to stay and chat, but I need to go," Blake interrupted. Kali looked surprised but made no comment. She ducked her head, making her heavy gold earrings jingle, and Blake did the same before heading out. She felt a little bad for cutting off her mother like that, but she hadn't wanted to draw out their chat too long. She had some things to do. Blake made a mental note to buy her mother her favorite mochi on the way home as an apology.

Her scroll buzzed, and Blake quickly glanced at it, only to be disappointed when she saw it was just Weiss. She ignored for message and smartly walked down the sidewalk, observing her fellow pedestrians and the occasional cyclist. Her house wasn't quite in the heart of Vale, but it was close enough for traffic and travel to be bustling. Blake adjusted her bag and waited at the light as a crowd formed. The light turned green, and she was pushed and pulled with the crowd to the other side of the road. Soon she freed herself and managed to make it to her first stop.

The sliding doors opened smoothly, and Blake stepped inside and felt the subtle change in temperature. It was brisk and refreshing. A saleswoman greeted her, and the latest pop song played softly in the background.

As Blake shuffled through the racks, she remembered that she hadn't answered Weiss. She scanned the notification, typed out a reply, and was about to put away her scroll when she saw that there was another notification from an unknown sender. No doubt it was Firebaby247. She had set her phone to silence any texts or calls from unknown numbers in order to deal with scammers and telemarketers. She opened up the message, smiled as she read it, replied, and made a contact for Firebaby247. She'd ask her for her name soon enough. If this girl was a keeper, they'd go beyond just knowing what their names were. Rather, getting her name was merely a box that needed to be checked off.. Right now she was simply patting down the soil around the seed that she planted.

She ended up finding a few shirts, pants, and lingerie that might fit her. She tried them all on, and all but a pair of pants ended up fitting just right. She swiftly paid for the clothes and moved on to the next store.

* * *

"Miss, I have a question." Yang quickly turned around and saw a customer behind her.

"Oh sure, what can I help you with?" the blonde politely asked, grinning and exuding a friendly aura. The old man fumbled with his words as he attempted to ask his question. He was clearly a foreigner, possibly from an island off Menagerie. His wolfish tail swished anxiously, and Yang did her best to try to make out his accent.

"I want the ah, they make them from milk. It's small, you put squares of them on for sandwiches."

"Cheese?" Yang suggested. The old man's dark eyes lit up.

"Yes, thank you! Where are the cheeses, miss?"

"If you go that way, turn right, they'll be past the meat section. They're next to the yogurts," Yang carefully explained, speaking as clearly as possible while taking care to not speak too fast or slow. The old man thanked her and pushed his shopping cart in the direction Yang pointed to.

"You're pretty good, Yang," Jaune said as he stocked green beans on the bottom shelf. Yang zipped up her jacket and went back to stocking canned tomatoes and tomato sauce.

"Not really," she humbly answered. "You get pretty used to it. You look for clues, try to understand them as best as you can. Most of them speak pretty well, in my experience."

"I always have a hard time understanding them," Jaune said. "I should have taken another year of Faunspeak in high school." Yang scoffed and set out a new row of cans.

"Faunspeak class is a joke. Most of the time the teachers are Humans, and you could always see the pain in the Faunus kids' eyes. Half of them didn't even speak Faunspeak, and the teachers would always call on them."

Jaune shrugged and didn't continue the topic. Soon Jaune left for his break and Yang took a moment to stop her work and stretch her back, groaning as she felt her joints crack. Buzz buzz.

 _'How are you doing, sweetie? Enjoying your day so far?'_

Yang stared blankly at the fifth word, feeling her heart skip a beat for a second. Sweetie? She quickly shut down her brief moment of excitement. Of course the woman would call her sweetie. It was only natural for this sort of relationship anyways. Somehow that thought rang hollow in Yang's mind. Yang decided to ignore it and answer. The last text that the rich Faunus had sent her was nearly 2 hours ago now, but Yang didn't mind since she had been working the entire time. Yang was nearly off her shift now, and she decided that she would go grocery shopping before she left her workplace. She finished the canned corn and took the cardboard boxes to the hydraulic baler before she went to the front to punch out.

"Hey Yang, you going home?" Nora said as she leaned over the customer service counter. The redhead looked bored with her new position, but Yang didn't comment on the many paper cranes that were littered on the countertops.

"Yeah, it's about that time. How are you and Ren doing?" Nora instantly perked up at the mention of her fiancé's name.

"We're doing well! We moved into his family's old house yesterday, actually. It's a bit run down, but it just needs some loving!" Yang nodded in approval.

"Oh, and by the way, we're going to be sending out invitations in a couple of weeks. What do you think about these three?" Nora pulled up pictures of three styles of invitations, and Yang looked at each of them before pointing to the third one.

"I think this one looks like the best one," Yang told her. Nora nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes, yes! I thought that one would look too flashy, but they really stand out and say "Renora," don't you think?" Yang smirked, holding her hand to her mouth.

"'Renora'? You two are adorable." Nora pouted, and Yang merely waved her hand.

"It's a compliment. Anyways, I'd love to stay and chat, but I need to go and get a few things." Nora nodded vigorously.

"Don't let me hold you back! See ya, Yang!" Yang raised her hand in farewell and punched out. She picked up a few vegetables, some cereal and bread, paid for it, and walked home with her groceries in her right hand and her scroll in her left.

'You're off now? I've just made it home myself. I also did some shopping, and then I had to go meet with a colleague to discuss the translation of a book from Menagerie.

Also, if I may ask, may I know your name? I do understand if you use a pseudonym, so don't feel pressured to answer your real name.'

Yang thought about it, and shrugged. She seemed like a good woman, and Yang was usually a good judge of character. And if it was her… Yang really didn't mind giving out her name to her.

Anyways, she really needed to make some money soon. She was tired of the automatic voicemails that the callers left.

* * *

Her name was Yang, Blake learned. It was short, beautiful, and easy on the ears. Yang. It suited her very well.

She sank her teeth into the soft mochi, enjoying the green apple flavoring. Her teeth cut into the treat like butter, and she accidentally bit her the inside of her lip with one of her canines from chewing too fast. She hissed silently, and her father chuckled.

"Slow down there, dear. Your mochi isn't going anywhere."

"How was work?" she asked. Ghira raised his shoulders and dropped them, popping in a whole mochi into his large mouth.

"The usual," he said as he chomped on the mochi. "That new kid Ash that we hired is a fast learner, so we had him on restoration duty today. If he keeps it up, I'm sure he'll rank up to an archaeologist within a few months. As for me, I'm still in the process of negotiations with the Vacuo Historical Museum for those Menagerian mummies."

"Really? What they did was wrong, though!" Blake said, her temper flaring and her ears flattened against her head. Ghira sighed and took a sip of tea.

"You know just as well as I do that I'm upset with this incident Blake, but this is a legal matter. Before Menagerie was recognized as a separate state, it was fine for any kingdom to come and search for artifacts and such. Now that this new law is passed, it's unclear whether or not those kingdoms have to return those items. Thus, we are in a limbo between an unclear law and a moral obligation. There's far too much gray area for this to be a clean deal."

Blake knew this, but she was still angry. She finished her tea and stood up to take her dishes to the sink. She rinsed them off and left them in the sink, as it was a house rule for the last person at the table to wash the dishes. She rejoined her father at the table, killing time on her scroll. She alternated between texting Yang, reading news articles, and editing her current client's manuscript until she cooled down. Soon she was spending more time texting Yang. She enjoyed talking to the blonde, and Blake decided that it was time to take the next step.

'Would you like to meet up tomorrow? I'm dying to meet you in person. I bet your photos don't do you justice. 2 p.m., The Cheura, lunch date?'

She also sent a cute photo of her in her new crop top and coat that she had bought today. She looked stunning, and she knew it.

The reply was almost immediate.

'I'll be at work until 3. Could we make that lunch date at 4?'

She needed to attend a meeting with her client after her lunch break, though. Four was probably not a good time.

'How about dinner at 6 p.m.? I have some errands to take care of after 3:30 p.m.'

A few seconds passed.

'That'd be spectacular.'

The ends of Blake's lips curved into a smile.

* * *

Ilia watched nonchalantly as she popped a cherry into her mouth and munched on the small fruit. They were the seedless kind, the kind of fruit that Yang hated the most. Yang hated the idea of buying fruit without seeds. What if she wanted to enjoy a snack while obtaining the key foundation to her own urban garden? Seedless cherries wouldn't help her any.

Pyrrha hummed as she tended to her plants, occasionally flitting her eyes over to the blonde. The redhead was slightly entertained by Yang's antics. She had known Yang for a few years already, and she had never seen the brawler quite like this before. Pyrrha softly giggled and then pulled off a few yellowing leaves, returning to her activity.

Yang sat cross legged in front of the full-body mirror. She had draped a shawl over the jumpsuit she was trying on (it was Pyrrha's), and her hair was half up while the other was in its natural habitat. Unruly, free, wavy, with plenty of loose curls near the ends. Ruby thought that her hair was wonderful, but Yang wasn't sure if her hair would qualify for "wonderful" today. Why, judging from the little she knew about Blake (she learned her name today), Blake seemed like a very put-together woman. Yang was already failing at texting, since she was better at calling and live chat - she didn't want to miss her first impression either. If it had been a normal date, then Yang would have picked out a glamorous outfit within seconds, tossing her heap of hair into a ponytail on the way out. But this was different.

"It says here that you should be yourself," Ilia read out from the page on her scroll. "Literally. Well, your best self. I'm still reading the article."

"She's rich, Ilia. I don't know if my best self is best enough for her," Yang murmured.

"Do you want me to wash your arm?" Pyrrha offered. Yang opened her mouth to refuse, but instead shut it and nodded. She detached her arm and looked at it, then handed it over to her friend. Ilia gave the two an odd look at the seemingly random exchange, but said nothing. Pyrrha briskly headed to the kitchen area of the apartment and began to clean the prosthetic. Within a few minutes, Pyrrha stood over Yang with the arm. Yang thanked her.

With a firm click, she locked it into position.

The click seemed to echo in the now silent room, save for the faint rustling of Pyrrha. Yang gazed at the section that connected the remaining part of her biological arm with the mechanical one. She had already gotten used to it by now, as it had been a few years already, but she nevertheless would probably never be able to shake off the fact that it wasn't her real arm. Prosthetics were advanced enough that she could have had one that was flesh toned, or more realistic looking, but frankly she hated how those looked. No matter what, it was a mechanical arm. Yang flexed her fingers, squeezed her fingers into a fist, then waggled her fingers to make sure everything was working properly, and then she triggered the vibration function to shake off the miniscule amount of water that may have clung onto the arm after being washed.

After her routine, Yang immediately felt a lot better about herself. She sprang to her feet and grabbed a white tank top, an oversized knit jumper, high waisted jeans, and black heels. She shut the door to separate herself from the other room which contained her roommates and immediately changed over, exiting her room within seconds.

"You look nice," Ilia complimented the blonde. Yang flashed a grin and leaned against the doorway with her left forearm.

"Hey Pyr, Il, watch this." Yang cleared her throat and looked towards her forearm.

"Hey Blake, do I look… hot?" At the last word, she whipped her head at the duo, giving them a dashing smile. The tall and petite women burst out in laughter.

"Yang, you're going to be late," Pyrrha shook her head, barely managing to control herself as she passed a handbag to Yang. Yang cackled and ruffled Ilia's head before heading out the door with a coat in her hand.

* * *

The Cheura was a lively restaurant whose vigor and fine dining matched its price. On a Friday night, couples and groups could find themselves waiting for hours for a table. So Blake contacted the chef's daughter, who put in a good word for Blake, and suddenly Blake had a reservation for two during the beginning of the dinner rush. She coolly leaned against one of the palm trees that were planted in the sidewalk as she waited for Yang. It was a bit on the chilly side tonight, but it was by no means too cold for a crop top and designer jeans. She watched the street traffic go by as moms and dads headed home after a finished day of work, and she saw the windows of apartments being lit up one by one as the sun sank into the horizon.

Blake's ear twitched, and she discreetly scratched it before looking at her scroll again. It was only 5:45. The feline Faunus always showed up at least a half hour earlier than the determined time, mainly because she simply hated being late. Also, as a sugar mama it was natural in her role to be the one to show up early, so that her sugar baby wouldn't-

"Hi! Are you Blake?"

Amber eyes flicked over to a young, pretty woman. The blonde woman beamed at her, and Blake merely lowered her eyelids and smiled.

"I presume you are Yang, then. It's nice to meet you," she said, straightening and dipping her head towards the blonde. Yang did the same, and then held her hands behind her back and lightly bounced on the balls of her feet.

"So, did you want to go in now, or wait it out a little until 6:00?" Blake shrugged lightly.

"We can go in now. I know the people who own the restaurant."

"Ah, so you're friends?" Yang asked, walking side by side with the dark haired woman. Blake waved her hand.

"It's all about connections, really. But I suppose we're friendly with the owner's family. Reservation for two, under Belladonna, sir." They entered the restaurant while being escorted by a dashing waiter who ushered them into a table near the back. A card with swirly letters was placed in the center of a circular table with a white tablecloth and two chairs. The waiter gingerly returned the card to a pocket in his apron, introduced himself as Cerulean, and asked what they would be interested in drinking tonight.

"We'll have a bottle of the house wine, Cerulean," Blake said, batting her long lashes and giving the poor boy an incredibly sexy, debilitating smile. Yang was completely knocked out from seeing such a look from Blake in person; she wondered how Cerulean was able to not blush right then and there. Thankfully, the waiter was able to maintain his professionalism while taking such a hit from such a beautiful woman.

"Ah, yes ma'am, I'll be right back." The flustered boy whirled over to retrieve the alcohol. There was a small silence, and in that small silence Yang began to panic, desperately thinking of topic starters. The restaurant wasn't too out of her league, but it was definitely pricey and meant for engagement parties and other celebrations. What mainly concerned her was the fact that she was going to get paid for this date, so she better be damn good.

"So is the house wine good?" she managed to say. Small start, easy answer, easy way to branch out into conversation. Good. Nice and small.

"Surprisingly, yes. Most restaurants' house wine is terrible stuff, but this restaurant's house wine is actually made by my cousin's husband's winery. He sends me samples from time to time, so I've naturally grown fond of the stuff."

"Yeah, I'm not much of a drinker, but my friends always tell me that most house wine is trash," Yang agreed with her. "I do enjoy the occasional beer or tequila shot, though." Blake cracked a smile.

"I'm not much for beer or tequila. I have to have a flavorful drink, so my go-to is either wine, some fruity drink, or coquito. Anyways, Yang, I'm sure that now's a good time as any, so I want to get straight into business so we can have fun as soon as possible." Yang nodded, and Blake continued.

"What's your financial status? I don't need specifics, but I do want to know if I can help you in any sort of way if you have to resort to sugaring." Yang rubbed her neck, chuckling nervously.

"I'm not really sure how I should do this. I don't want to just ask you for money, it kinda feels wrong."

"I'm paying you for your time," Blake pointed out to the golden haired woman. "Really, no shame. Tell me as it is." Yang bit her lip as she thought about all those phone calls and letters stuck in her P.O. box.

"I'm… kind of in debt? Well, I am in debt. I had to have a surgery done a while ago, and I didn't have insurance, so I'm on a payment plan. Thing is, my job ended up firing me during that time and I had to get a lower-wage job, so I'm floundering at this point." Blake nodded and listened attentively, and Yang was starting to feel better about talking about this in the open to practically a stranger.

"In order to pay my rent, help with groceries, transportation, utilities, and pay my installment, I need about Ⱡ4,000 a month. Ideally. But then I have to catch up with my payment plan, so…" Yang trailed off, her mood dampened slightly. She looked down at her napkin and the set of utensils.

"So you work a low-wage job? I'm guessing you make about Ⱡ10 an hour, right?" Blake finally asked, gears grinding in her head.

"Ⱡ10.50, actually."

"Ⱡ10.50 an hour. How many hours?"

"48 a week, roughly." Blake frowned.

"That's clearly over the legal limit without providing you any sort of insurance."

"I work in different departments. I stock, work in produce, and I fill in if the deli needs me." Blake was still frowning as she worked out the math problem in her head.

"So, saying 48 is average, and you make that much, that would be Ⱡ500 a week, Ⱡ2,000 a month, but with taxes it ends up being more like Ⱡ1,500…" Blake's eyes widened ever so much as she realized the ugly truth. Yang bowed her head, completely silent.

"Well, that settles it then. I'll-"

"Ma'am, here's your house wine," Cerulean appeared all of a sudden. The two women looked at the handsome waiter, and he quickly dropped off the wine and the menus with the promise that he would return soon.

"Ahem. As I was saying, I'm usually a good judge of character Yang. I know that you're not a sugar baby at heart, and..." Blake grabbed Yang's hand, flinching at the feel of hard metal. She looked down at their hands, and she finally saw what Yang had been hiding underneath the baggy jumper. She paused for a second to take this information in, but nevertheless pursued her intended offer.

"I just wanted to know that you're not alone in this world. I think you're beautiful, kind, and certainly more than meets the eye."

"How do you know?" Yang whispered. "You've barely known me for a week." Blake took hold of Yang's right hand with both of her own, holding it while maintaining her gaze with the blonde. Yang felt like she would blush within any second now with how intense the dark haired woman stared at her. She felt her heartbeat quicken.

"Well, why don't we just find out, love? I'll give you an allowance of Ⱡ4,000 per month, and I want you to work 30 hours _at most_ , day shift only with weekends off. How's that?"

Yang wasn't one for crying. Not even around her younger sister, or her parents, or even with her exes or close friends. But she couldn't help the tears that spilled out of her eyes right then and there. She covered her face with her arm and tried her best to stop them, to think about anything else, but the amount of relief she felt simply couldn't be described more than a huge burden being lifted off her shoulders - and that relief felt so good that is was painful. Blake held her hand and waited for her to finish, waving Cerulean away so that Yang would have time to pull herself together.


	3. Odori-don

"Are you done, sweetie?" Blake asked as she kindly handed a handkerchief to a sniffling Yang. Yang cracked a smile and laughed as she attempted to recover herself.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry you had to see that. I promise you that I'm more capable, it's just that you have no idea what that means to me." Blake hummed.

"I can imagine. I've had a few sugar babies before who were in need, all different circumstances. But let's not talk about them. How good are you with seafood, Yang?" Blake asked, bringing the topic of dinner back to the table. Yang took time to appreciate the fact that Blake was holding her robotic hand, even if it was only artificial nerves telling her brain that it was warm.

"Seafood is pretty okay. What did you have in mind?" Blake's eyes practically sparkled as she leaned forward.

"How about squid? Are you comfortable with that?" Squid? Yang had fried squid at a festival once, and it was alright in her opinion.

"Sure, that sounds fine." Blake nodded calling for their waiter. Cerulean came over and Blake whispered something in Faunspeak to him. Cerulean nodded with just a hint of a smile on his face. Yang raised an eyebrow to Blake, but Blake simply looked at her with a neutral expression. Yang decided to let it go and trust in Blake.

"Is he a Faunus?" Yang asked, taking her mind off the mysterious words she couldn't understand. Blake nodded and reached to fill Yang's glass with wine before pouring one for herself.

"Here, try it and see if you like it. And yes, he's a sheep Faunus. Couldn't you tell from his hair?"

"I don't really see what you mean," Yang confessed. "It looks just like regular hair."

"It does, but the next time he comes over, take a closer look at his hair and his skin. I'm sure you'll be surprised. Do you have any Faunus in your family, Yang?" Yang shook her head.

"Not that I know of. We're pretty much Human as far as I know. What about you?" Blake gave Yang a look. Heat rose up to her cheeks, and Blake laughed as Yang tried to defend herself.

"Don't beat yourself up, love. Do you want to get a better look at them?" Blake asked. She untied her bow before receiving an answer, and Yang watched in awe at the appendages, mesmerized as Blake wiggled them for her. Although Blake's hair was quite dark already, the fur of her ears was even darker, reminding her of a moonless night sky. Yang took note of the stylistic ear plate that Blake wore, and the white fuzz that stood out against the jet black fur.

"Can you actually use them to hear…" Yang mused in a low voice as she continued to admire them.

"I beg your pardon?" Yang snapped back to reality, where she saw a confused Blake looking at her. "Can you what? I didn't hear what you were saying."

"Oh, that. I was just…" Yang stopped for a second, suddenly wondering if asking such a question would offend her. Blake looked at her expectantly but Yang raised her glass and took a sip of the wine instead.

"Never mind, it wasn't important." It seemed to be enough for Blake, and the two let the matter go. Soon their food arrived, and Yang stared at the bowl that was placed in front of her.

"Two bowls of odori-don, with a side of shouyu. Anything else for you two ladies?"

"That'll be all for now, Cerulean. Thank you." Cerulean bowed as he left. Blake placed her bow in her purse and grabbed the set of chopsticks resting beside her plate.

Yang couldn't bring herself to do anything except stare at the bowl that was placed in front of her. Blake gracefully poured soy sauce on the squid. The tentacles started moving.

"Nice and fresh," Blake said, impressed. She poked the tentacles. Yang, however, seemed to be paralyzed by her own bowl, her expression unchanging even as Blake played with the squid.

"Yang? You need to pour the soy sauce over the squid to make it dance. See?" Blake gestured at her own bowl.

"Is it alive? I'm not eating anything alive." Blake looked at her with amusement.

"Well, I don't know. It sure looks alive to me, even though the mantle has been removed and the squid is so fresh that the muscles still react to the sodium chloride in the soy sauce."

This had to be a test. Who in their right mind would actually eat this? Was this a rite of passage? Yang examined her counterpart who picked up the squid by the body. Yang watched with wide eyes as the tentacle enter Blake's mouth, and it was gone in a second. Blake munched on it, and Yang looked at her own squid. The more she looked at it, the more stupid she felt. Determined to prove herself, Yang sloshed the soy sauce onto the squid. The tentacles waved and squiggled at her. She picked up the creature and grimaced before biting off an arm.

It squirmed in her mouth, and the soy sauce covered her tongue. She made quick work to chew it and swallow. When she was finished, she looked at Blake and was puzzled to see Blake covering her mouth.

"What?" Yang asked, wiping off some sauce on the corner of her mouth. Blake shook her head slowly, showing disbelief.

"You're intriguing. I didn't actually think you'd eat it as it is. You've surprised me. You're not like the others. Hmm…" Blake set her chopsticks down, folding her hands as she peered at her once more. Yang's stomach began to squirm, whether from nerves or from the sea creature she had just consumed. Then Blake picked up her chopsticks and continued to eat her meal, whatever deep state of mind she had entered seemingly disappeared. Yang was confused but decided not to ponder too much about it.

As they continued their date, Blake briefly talked about her occupation as a translator and editor, and continually asked Yang questions about her workplace, lifestyle, and home life. Yang did her best to satisfy Blake's curiosity, even when Blake's questions were ones about mundane aspects of her job. Even though Yang found it a bit strange that Blake was so focused on her, it felt quite nice to be the center of attention.

She hadn't felt that in so long, probably since high school. By the time the date was nearing its end, Yang had all but forgotten about her initial worries. Instead, she filled the time by laughing and boasting like her normal self, entertaining Blake with old stories from when she lived with Ruby and Tai. It all felt completely natural. Yang didn't even think twice when she took Blake's hand into hers, intertwining their fingers, or resting her hand on Blake's forearm, or eying Blake just a second longer than she would have anyone else. The warmly lit table, the soft lively atmosphere, as well as the savory wine that warmed her heart all made Yang feel like she was a helium balloon that had loosened from a vendor's cart and was floating away into the great blue sky.

* * *

Knockknockknock.

She groaned, burying her head underneath a pillow. The warmth of the bed was far too comforting to leave at the moment.

Knockknockknock.

She was having a really nice dream too. If she went back to sleep then maybe she could finish that part and-

KNOCKKNOCKKNOCK.

"Yang, for the love of gods, will you answer that?" came Pyrrha's voice deep within the kitchen. "I'm kind of busy right now." Whatever was left of her dream completely dissipated. Grumbling underneath her breath Yang stumbled to her feet from her futon and took her arm off the charger. She connected it and blearily rubbed her eyes as she walked to the front door, letting out a large yawn.

"Morning, sunshine," Pyrrha said as Yang passed the kitchen's doorway. Yang flipped Pyrrha off and opened the door. Her face fell as recognition fully awoke her.

"Good afternoon, Miss Xiao Long. Or, more like good morning as I can see you've just woken up. May I come in for a minute to speak with you?" Not like she really had any choice in the matter. Yang widened the door and stepped to the side, as the woman promptly strode in and took a seat on Yang's overstuffed loveseat. Yang settled in Ilia's moon chair and clasped her hands together. The woman shuffled a few papers in her folder, looking over the details, adjusting her glasses.

"How have you been? The agency hasn't been able to contact you for the past several weeks, and you remain elusive whenever a representative stops by." Yang took a deep breath, making brief eye contact with Pyrrha who peeked out of the kitchen. She lifted her chin slightly as she looked at the woman in the eye. Lilac blinked, too fast for a camera, and red flashed.

Pyrrha heard the argument unfold, and she turned on the radio on the kitchen in an attempt to drown out the noise. She tried to sing along to the tune as she added in the ginger and garlic to the browning onions. The woman's booming voice overpowered Yang's, and Pyrrha could practically feel the energy being emitted in waves. She continued to saute the vegetables.

There was a door slam, and then her radio was far too loud. Pyrrha lowered the volume before powering off the thing, and she moved her pan to the back burner so she could check on Yang.

She was still sitting on the round chair, hunched over, her fingers massaged her temples as she murmured something about dirty money and corporate greed and third-party debt collectors. Pyrrha came in from behind and wordlessly wrapped her arms around Yang, humming something as she swayed her side to side. Eventually, Yang stopped her mantra and hugged Pyrrha's arms, simply letting her friend soothe her.

"Are you alright?" Pyrrha eventually questioned. Yang made a negative noise, unwilling to move from their position. Instead, she leaned her head back to rest it on Pyrrha's chest.

"I don't wanna go to work," said Yang after a moment of silence. "Why do I have to go to work?"

"Because things aren't free?" Pyrrha reminded her. "Because you have a robotic arm, and your previous employer was an ass?" Yang looked up at Pyrrha.

"When was the last time you cursed?"

"What, I'm not allowed to reveal what your past employer was? It sucks to see you like this, Yang. It really does." Yang continued to let herself be hugged and stared in front of her, face expressionless.

"Yeah, it really does."

They stayed like that for a while, until Pyrrha commented that she had to finish lunch before Ilia came home and Yang had to leave, so Yang let her go to finish in the kitchen. Yang herself went back to her room to get ready for work. She put on a red T-shirt, tied her hair into a ponytail then put on a black hat, before shimmying into some loose jeans. She glanced around her room and noticed how messy it was.

'Blake wouldn't want to see this,' Yang thought mindlessly. She began to pick up her room, starting with the clothes that were piled in the corners of her room. She threw them into her laundry basket, taking them to the living room and placing them next to the front door. She'd take them to the laundromat after work.

* * *

Ruby skipped happily over and handed her father the heat gun that she had just plugged in.

"Why so chipper?" Yang asked her from the inside of the car. Ruby poked her head in and beamed.

"I've got a match! We're supposed to be meeting up tonight and I'm so excited, sis!" Yang laughed, reaching over to ruffle her short hair. Ruby's enthusiasm was simply adorable, and infectious as well. She knew coming to visit would put her in a good mood after that fiasco with the collector.

"Alright Yang, get scraping," Taiyang said, grabbing her attention. Well, it was almost her idea to come back to Patch for the weekend. Her dad may have also asked her to help him take the tint off a 10-year-old car he had just acquired.

"I'm gonna check on the macarons! I'll bring lunch out soon!" Ruby called out before speeding away into the house. Yang nodded and began to dig into the edges of the tint with the razor. Taiyang waved the heat gun on the outside of the glass, and soon Yang was able to get a grip on the tint and start peeling it off. It was a slow process. She peeled off a large section, leaving a clear triangular section on the window.

"Try to go slower," Taiyang said. "Previous guy put cheap stuff on here, and it's completely baked on."

"'Kay," Yang responded, and she repeated the process, this time going slower as her dad commanded. It was incredibly boring, and she could feel herself start to sweat from the scorching heat waves being emitted from the heat gun. At a point she had accidentally brushed her finger against the glass, making her hiss in pain.

"Are you okay?!" Tai asked, turning off the gun and looking at Yang with concern. She shook her head.

"It's nothing I can't take. I'll use my right hand for this."

"Should have done that from the beginning," he remarked. "I'll get started again. Give me a second to reheat the glass."

They finished within the next half hour, just when Ruby burst outside with two turkey sandwiches for her sister and dad. Provolone cheese, lettuce, cucumbers, mayonnaise, mustard and one slice of tomato on each, toasted and with a dash of salt and pepper. Tai and Yang were the only ones in the family who liked their sandwiches like this, and it was very easy to please them when it was correctly made. As they were when they eagerly tore into the sandwiches after all the work they had just done.

"It's delicious," Yang moaned.

"No need to praise me, I know I'm the best," Ruby said cheekily, sticking her tongue out. "Now that I'm going off to college, Dad taught me how to cook." Yang swallowed and looked at Tai. He shrugged.

"What, you really thought she would remember your lessons when you left the house? You're lucky she didn't burn the toast."

"Dad!" Ruby yelled, her confident demeanor successfully breached. Yang laughed.

"It's great, sis. I'm glad I'm back."

* * *

The three family members were locked into a death battle. Family meant absolutely nothing when it came to video games, and tonight was no exception. After a few quick rounds of rock-paper-scissors, it was determined that they would play a racing game, which happened to be Ruby's forte. Ruby hummed happily as she zoomed several hundred feet in front of her father and sister, and Yang and Tai growled as they tried to pass each other. Tai shouted victoriously as triumphant sounding music blared out, and Yang groaned and tossed her scroll.

"Absolutely not fair. Ruby's practically a speed demon, and you applied a boost item at the last second."

"Hey, there wasn't a rule in which we were not allowed to use items. I seem to recall you using several at the beginning to gain an advantage," Tai retorted.

"That was the beginning! No one cares at the beginning!" Yang insisted, raising up from her position. Tai grinned, and the two blondes went at it.

"Really? It was one round," Ruby protested as the two arm-wrestled over the coffee table, effectively blocking the younger one's view from the TV. "Why do you guys always do this?"

"Because we really hate losing!" Yang grunted out. Her sensors informing her that her dad's iron grip was strong - though, she didn't need them to tell her that. Hers was just as strong. She felt him push down on her, and even though she didn't let up for one second, fighting until the end, he eventually forced her knuckles to touch the tabletop.

"True victory!" he cawed, raising his fists. "Take that, robo-arm!" Yang narrowed her violet eyes.

"Just you wait, old man. Next time I come over I'm going to have my arm fully charged, and more powerful than ever. It'll be just as good as the old one."

Buzz buzz. Yang instinctively looked at her scroll and was puzzled to see no notification pop up. That was weird.

A high pitched squeal came from the younger sister, and Ruby stomped her feet rapidly in excitement. A screen was shoved in Yang's face almost immediately.

"We're going to meet tonight! Dad, I'm gonna borrow the car!"

"No you're not," he replied.

"I'm not going to borrow the car! I'll get him to pick me up!" Tai nodded.

"That's more like it. I still need more time to work on it before this bad boy can be re-released to the public eye."

"Oh! Sis, you got a notification while you and Dad were fighting," Ruby said, her head snapping up from her scroll. She gestured over to Yang's scroll. "Someone named Blake texted you."

"I've gotta answer it," Yang said quickly, snatching it from the table. Ruby raised her eyebrows, clearly delighted with the knowledge that Yang was not sharing. Ruby always had a bit of a nosy side to her, and she was terrible at hiding it or investigating things. It's why Yang didn't mind that she asked questions. She simply wasn't going to give any satisfactory answers to her.

"Is it a boy, or a girl? At least tell me that, sis," Ruby pleaded. Yang shrugged, and Ruby shrieked in frustration.

"Is it a friend? A girlfriend? Friends with benefits?"

"How do you know what friends with benefits is?" Tai said, giving Ruby a stern look. she just rolled her eyes.

"I went to high school, Dad. And I read lots of articles from a very informative site."

"Tumblr?" Yang suggested. Ruby unfolded her arms and stared at Yang.

"How did you know?" Ruby asked in wonder.

"Pyrrha said that she would rather die than miss a shot while we were in the backyard practicing archery, and you told her, 'Then perish.'"

* * *

"I hope you don't mind if we walk there, do you? It's only a few blocks away," Blake asked as they walked down the sidewalk. Yang shook her head, her blonde curls swaying from her high ponytail. She had taken care to look exceptional today after such a shitty day yesterday. She had applied some mascara and eyeliner, and she had even put on foundation and blush. Blake, not to be outdone, had put on her usual makeup, but had also changed her bow to a black satin one with a stripe running horizontally. Yang had almost chuckled when she saw how complementary their outfits were. Today Blake was wearing a black trench coat and black heeled boots that disappeared into the fabric that covered their tops. Yang wondered just how tall they were. What exactly Blake was wearing underneath, Yang had no clue, but it was bound to be something stunning. Yang herself was wearing a white summer dress that she hadn't worn in years (it was a miracle that it still fit her) and a cashmere shawl that she kept wrapped around her upper body. Nude heels concealed her feet, and the lighter tap of her heels in comparison to the slightly heavier sound of Blake's boots was simply astounding. Blake guided her by her elbow, keeping her close, and Blake talked about her job, keeping the topic light. Yang found herself asking more and more questions about the other, and Blake was more than willing to satisfy her curiosity.

They passed a group of men who whistled at them. Blake simply ignored them, instead of what Yang would have done if it had just been her. As Yang listened to them hoot and holler, she held onto Blake's arm even tighter. Blake glanced at her.

"Do they bother you? Men, I mean. I can have them arrested if you want." Yang shook her head, briefly wondering how a woman could have so many ties while they rounded a corner.

"... It's not just them. I just don't like how there are men in the world who can see people as just a piece of ass." Blake hummed.

"No matter how many good people there are in the world, there will always be those few who provide the reasons why we have the word 'asshole' in the dictionary." Yang laughed, and then a question passed her mind. She hasn't really asked herself about it before, but now that it was planted in her mind she couldn't shake it off.

"Blake, what's your last name?" Blake looked surprised for a second but immediately smoothed her expression over.

"Why do you ask?" She countered Yang's question instead. Yang adjusted her shawl with her right arm.

"I was just curious. I've been trying to think of who you are, and I don't think you're exactly famous or anything. No offense."

"None taken," the shorter woman purred. "And you're right, I'm not famous, nor do I try to seek attention from the media. But if you did look up my full name, I'm sure you would know who my mother is at the very least. Or, you would recognize who she is rather than who she is as a person." Yang waited patiently, hoping Blake wouldn't leave the answer up in the air, and Blake eventually said, "Belladonna."

Blake Belladonna. Now that she thought about it, that did seem familiar. Wasn't that the last name of a well-known priestess in Vale?

"Belladonna… I like that," Yang said. "It suits you." Blake smiled.

"I should hope so since I've had it for all of my life," she replied. Her eyebrow rose, and she looked at Yang.

"And you? What about your last name?"

"Xiao Long," Yang immediately said with no hesitation whatsoever.

"Xiao Long, Xiao Long…" Blake said, playing with Yang's last name, moving it around in the air with her rosy lips. Heat rose in Yang's face whenever Blake repeated her last name with such a sultry tone. Was she doing it on purpose? It absolutely wasn't fair on her part. "Are you blushing?" Fuck. She was caught like a deer in headlights. The evidence was clearly there. Blake's whole mood changed, and she let go of Yang's arm, instead stepping in front to block Yang's way. "Hey," she said breathily, and Yang gulped. Blake looked at her with half-lidded irises - Blake didn't really blink much, did she? - and Yang felt like she was being scoured all over by how Blake looked at her. Those eyes… They weren't looking innocent, were they?

"Do you want to skip the restaurant and go to my place? We'll make dinner together. We're not too far from my apartment."

What exactly was she supposed to do in this situation? Did Blake do this on purpose? But Blake had clearly come from the opposite direction to pick Yang up. A million questions crossed Yang's mind, but the only thing that came out was a soft 'yes.' Blake was clearly delighted, and this time Blake was the one who held onto Yang's arm, leading towards a large apartment building.


	4. Old wounds

Wind chimes softly clanged as a breeze made them twist and turn in the wind. A few potted plants hung from the porch, lush and slightly overgrown, but obviously well taken care of. The evening was already settling on the ground, bringing the chill of the dew. Blake reached into her purse and searched for her keys, finding them within seconds. She proceeded to unlock the door.

Yang hadn't been sure what Blake's place was like. For one, she was under the impression that she had lived with her parents, so it took her by surprise that Blake claimed to have her own apartment. Blake spoke fondly of her father and the work he did, and she would mention her mother's work from time to time as well. From what Yang gathered, Blake had taken more after her father. They both loved to read and had a way with languages. Her mother, Kali Belladonna, was more of a social person and preferred to interact with people on a personal level. Yang still needed to look up who Kali was. The name was commonplace in Vale, but the face wasn't. She wondered if Blake's mother was as beautiful as her daughter.

That wasn't right. Shouldn't it be that Blake was as beautiful as her mother? Maybe the order didn't matter too much and it just depended on what order you met family members. Yang decided to ignore her confusion with complimenting her sugar mama's family. That wasn't important right now.

What was important right now? She wasn't sure. Skipping out on the restaurant was so spontaneous and Yang wasn't fully prepared for the consequences of the obvious implications Blake was making by inviting her over. And so… why did Yang choose to come here, then? It was ultimately her choice on whether or not to have gone to the restaurant, wasn't it? Who really had the control in this relationship anyway?

Yang was broken out of her thoughts as she heard the door swing open. Blake ducked her head a little and gestured through the door.

"After you," Blake said politely. Yang walked in slowly through the dark frame as her eyes adjusted. All the blinds were shut, and there was only a nightlight in the long hallway to guide her. She padded cautiously and reached a living room. There was a long black L-shaped couch and a large TV on a black stand, and there was a cabinet filled with CDs and DVDs and tapes. Between the TV and the couch was a small coffee table with several remotes and an empty vase with an intricate flower design on one of its' four sides. More plants in the room. Succulents were lined up against a window sill, and a small potted tree rested near the sliding door that led to a small porch in the back.

Although the room was dark, it was actually quite nice looking. The only thing that put Yang off was the fact that it was too nice looking. There was no art or decor on the walls, and part of the couch was still wrapped in plastic, unused. The floors were spotless, the rug untouched, and everything was far too clean. It didn't even look like someone lived here. Either Blake was a serious clean freak, or she only used her bedroom to sleep in and didn't live in any other area of her place.

"I wasn't expecting any guests, so all I have to offer is water and tea at the moment," Blake said apologetically. "Do you like tea?" she inquired.

"It's alright to me," Yang offered. "Ruby went through a tea phase so I've got a bit of a taste for it now. Do you have chamomile or Earl Grey?"

"I have both of those," she was informed by the Faunus. "Make yourself at home. You can turn on the TV, but I don't have cable. I usually stream my shows instead. So which would you like?"

"Earl Grey." Blake nodded.

"I like Earl Grey too. My mother always made it for me when I was little before bed.

The remote to turn on the TV is the one all the way on the left. The sound system remote is the long gray one. The remote to control the media player is the small black one with red buttons."

"Gotcha," Yang said, quickly locating the devices. She soon put on a sci-fi show about 5 people who were able to connect their minds to mechs. It was an interesting synopsis, and the blonde had been hearing about it for the past few weeks from her co-workers, specifically Nora. She sat down on the couch, feeling how firm it was. The soft leather felt nice against her thighs, but she couldn't help but notice how this couch really wasn't comfortable at all. The room was just a little bit too cold, and the apartment was just a little bit too quiet. She was reminded again of how unlively this place was.

Blake, for her part, wasn't doing much to help either. She was more quiet than usual, but that was because she was preparing the tea. Still, Yang needed to fill the air with conversation to lull the pounding of her heart.

"Do you have a stereo? What type of music do you like?" Blake lifted her head up from her task and looked at her date.

"I just have a Bluetooth speaker. I don't really listen to my music out loud. But mainly rock, some traditional Faunus folk songs, R&B, and pop," she answered. "And you?"

It was so interesting, really. Yang definitely found her partner attractive at first sight, but what was this? It was like… she had taken off a mask, the blonde realized. It all clicked in her head. Then the reason that the Faunus invited her over at this unknown apartment tucked away at the edge of the city was-

"You don't really like attention, do you?" Blake flinched, accidentally dropping the bag in with the string. "Sorry," Yang added apologetically. "It just makes sense now. I was wondering why your personality keeps changing." Blake straightened up and coolly fished out the tag with a fork, concentrating on the task.

"I don't know what you're talking about, sweetie," she nonchalantly replied. "It's part of my job to talk to people, and I have to make speeches at business parties to motivate my co-workers. Communication is key for me." The mask was back on, and Yang wondered if she should not have called her out so soon. It was just the second date after all. They hadn't been doing much texting as before, mainly because Blake was busy with things, as she claimed. So as Yang put in her new hours to her work schedule, Blake had become ever the more busier due to upcoming releases.

'This person does not know how sex works.' She could practically hear Blake's exasperation. 'I don't usually edit erotica novels, and it's for this reason. I've seen smut fanfiction written better than this.'

Being an editor must be hard, Yang thought. She certainly couldn't do it. She had tried her hand at writing novels before, and she had absolutely hated the editing process.

But back to Blake. It all made sense now. Yang truly was convinced that Blake wasn't as social as she made herself out to be. Yang was pretty outgoing and didn't mind hanging out at her own place, but no matter what she pretty much would rather be outside doing something. Blake's over-the-top confidence, her daring invitation, and her comfortable silence in her own place only reinforced Yang's guess.

However, there must be a reason that Blake was so insistent on being this archetypal sugar mama that was quite cliche. So Yang let it go and hoped that a more relaxed Blake would return.

Eventually, the Faunus did end up relaxing after suggesting that they make dinner once they enjoyed their tea. After looking through Blake's refrigerator (not many ingredients but plenty enough to make a few meals), the pair settled for tilapia with a side of white rice and asparagus. It was oddly soothing to do such a homey task with Blake, even though they hadn't really known each other for much time. It had been only a few weeks and some days since Yang had signed up for that website… which, she still needed to delete her profile. She had received more offers, some from men, some from prestigious women, and some from bots. It didn't feel necessary to talk to any of them. She already had Blake, and for some reason Blake liked her. Really liked her. Why else would she be in her apartment?

"I love fish," Blake suddenly declared, raising her fork in the air. "It reminds me of this local restaurant in Menagerie. Nothing fancy. In fact, the sanitation rating was quite low, and the bathroom was rather shady. But it had the best tilapia ever. Freshly caught, and seasoned to perfection. They had this amazing salsa to go with it, and oh Yang, I wish I could go back and get some fish tacos."

"What's stopping you?" Yang said as she munched on a piece of asparagus. Blake sighed softly, lowering her eyes to her plate. Her bow drooped slightly.

"That's the thing. Nothing is stopping me. I can take my work with me, and I have the funds. I just… I don't know. Maybe I just don't want to go alone."

Yang knew better than to say what she said following that statement. But she couldn't help it. Her heart pounded as the words tumbled out from her pretty pink lips.

"What if I went with you?"

Blake was delighted when she heard those words. It was like Yang had hit a switch.

"Why, I would love that, Yang. Perhaps in the future sometime. A few days should suffice. What do you think? The beaches are wonderful, and I'm sure you would need a few bathing suits. We could go by boat or airship, either would be fine. What do you say, Yang?"

Even though it was her own idea, Yang was taken aback at how… eager Blake was about the trip. What a change of mood. She nodded her head slowly. Blake edged closer. Weren't they a few inches closer now? Did she scoot her chair near her?

"Let's go to my room, dear," the Faunus whispered in her ear. "I'd like to show you something you'd like."

Chilling, seductive, absolutely alluring. How was Blake so incredibly… incredibly, desirable? It was unfair. Yang could only stutter out a yes, and Blake rose and tugged her out of her seat, leading her by the hand to a room on the opposite side of the apartment.

* * *

"Did you two have sex!?" Ilia exclaimed, dark blue eyes wide as saucers. The petite woman clutched a large pillow, clearly engaged with Yang's story. Pyrrha grunted.

"Of course she didn't. Yang's here, isn't she?" Yang bit her lip and looked at Pyrrha sheepishly. Pyrrha's mouth opened in shock.

"Okay, so we didn't have sex but…"

* * *

It had been simple. Blake, true to her word, did have something to show Yang that she would like.

The painting was incredibly large and had a thick wooden frame. Faunus and Humans were paired off, some in groups, and were in the midst of fits of passion. Though it was an incredibly erotic work, there was no denying it, it was incredibly beautiful. Yang glanced at an interracial couple in the corner. The cat Faunus had the Human pinned down on her stomach, and a soft euphoric expression was displayed on her features. The cat Faunus for her part had a euphoric expression to match. Yang had a fleeting moment of recognition but ignored it.

"I bought this in Atlas a few months ago. A close friend of mine pointed it out to me, and I was immediately smitten with it. I don't usually buy paintings because I'm picky, but this one? This one called out my name. The use of color, the neonesque color of the sky, the unusualness of the situation, and the painting technique sold me. And…" Blake walked over and turned off the light.

"It glows," Yang remarked, impressed.

"Not just glows. Look at the background and the people."

The sky was a dark purple now, and tiny dots glittered, representing the hidden stars in the daytime version of the painting. The people who had previously been enjoying themselves were now performing acts of kindness. A woman who had been riding cowgirl style on a man now presented him with flowers. Two Faunus men were now exchanging sweet caresses. The interracial couple Yang had spotted before had the Faunus woman helping the Human woman to her feet.

Blake was grinning as Yang looked at her with a stunned expression.

"It's literally 'more than meets the eye,'" Yang exclaimed. Blake giggled excitedly, her gold eyes shining in the dark room.

"The artist didn't tell me about this secret image, so imagine my surprise when I was having it put up and the power went out. Weiss was just as shocked as you."

"Weiss?" Yang asked.

"My close friend," Blake clarified for her.

"Oh," said Yang. She took another look through the room, now noticing more details than before. One wall was literally the entire window, and she could see from behind the blinds and from general layout knowledge that there would be a small walkway outside. Directly across the bed and painting was yet another mirror - also large. The mirror was propped on a big, long, chest-of-drawers. The floor was made of fake wood, and there was a sliding door on the right wall which most likely contained shirts and coats. Why was Blake sliding it open now, though?

Blake pulled out a black shirt, fondly gazed at it, and she turned and presented it to Yang.

"What do you think, darling? Do you like it?" The price tag was still attached! A quick look at the clothes, and Yang saw that price tags were sprinkled throughout the whole section. Was Blake a shopaholic?

"I do," Yang said honestly. Blake pressed her lips together, studied Yang, and she held the hanger up to Yang's body.

"I think it's just your size. Do you want to try it on? I had you in mind when I bought it."

"Me?!" Yang sputtered, flustered by the gesture and pointing at herself.

"Oh yes, I think it would flatter you tremendously. I hope you don't mind me buying stuff for you… I just really like the idea of you wearing this for me." Yang felt a flash of heat course through her body. Goosebumps on her skin and fire in the pit of her stomach; how could she say no? Blake lowered the shirt and cocked her head slightly.

"Unless… you don't want to?"

"N-No! I'll wear it for you!" Yang immediately pulled her dress over her head, frantic action catching up to her when she caught Blake's gaze at her mostly naked body. She took off the shirt from the hanger and tried to fight the blooming blush that spread on her cheeks.

It was form-fitting and ended at the dip of her waist. Lace covered the chest and collarbone area, exposing her skin underneath. A slim collar that was nearly detached from the shirt covered her neck some. Overall, the shirt felt really nice.

She felt Blake touch her waist and heat flared once more. The Faunus led her to the mirror in the corner of her room - she had missed that one, it seemed.

"I think you look beautiful," Blake gushed, resting her hand on Yang's shoulder. "I was a bit worried about size, but it looks like it was meant for you."

Yang stared back at herself from the mirror, wearing the unfamiliar color extraordinarily well. She wasn't opposed to black, she thought. She had always thought warmer colors were her thing, but perhaps black really was a good color on anyone. Hand at her hip now; Blake was being quite touchy. She didn't mind, did she?

Her hand began going up and down, caressing her hip and rubbing against the fabric of her panties. Yang looked at Blake, and there was a shift in the air, the very atmosphere, of the room.

"Can I-" Yang didn't even finish. She just went ahead and placed her hands on Blake's hips, and the two fell onto the dark-haired woman's bed, hungry lips searching skin, hands roaming and feeling. Yang gasped as Blake placed kisses along her neck, all the way up to her ear, and then back again. Yang tried to do the same to her, but Blake had her hands pinned now and her leg between her. She was clearly the one in control. All Yang could do was moan softly as Blake continued her barrage of kisses on Yang's feverish skin. Then, her lips - oh, Blake's lips were so soft! There was still something sticky and sweet on them, most likely chapstick, and Yang eagerly savored the taste. The blonde whined when Blake repositioned her knee, making it closer to her core than before, and she felt Blake's lips smile against her skin.

"Seeing you in just that shirt and underwear… I couldn't help myself," the woman breathily admitted.

"Ha…. Your… It was your idea," Yang shot back. Gold eyes glimmered.

"So it was, but I didn't hear any protest from you," she smugly pointed out.

"Just shut up and keep going," Yang protested, getting frustrated, and Blake did.

* * *

Ilia's eyes were practically bulging and her mouth could catch flies. Her freckles glowed a pastel pink hue, and she tried to hide her face behind the pillow.

"So you ended up having a make-out session. That's a little fast, isn't it?" Pyrrha said, her words unexpectedly cold. Yang frowned at the tall woman's tone but nevertheless responded.

"Yeah, it was… Blake's an awesome kisser, by the way. She was so good, she completely overwhelmed me. Like, if kissing was tucking in a kid at night, she would be the thickest blanket in winter," the blonde rambled.

"What kind of analogy is that?" Pyrrha said, shaking her head.

"I don't know! You'd understand if you met her. Just looking at her makes me want to get down on my knees." Ilia coughed, choking on laughter, and the small Faunus fell out of her chair.

"You! You want to… hahaha! On your knees…!"

Yang and Pyrrha watched Ilia roll around and try to calm down. Just when she looked like she was done, she would look at the blonde once more and that would set her off.

"What a useless lesbian," Pyrrha simply said.

"She's fangirling," Yang said, shocked at the unexpected reaction.

Eventually, Ilia gathered her wits and managed to find her chair and pillow again, occasionally letting out an unrestrained giggle.

"You nerd," Yang chuckled. "What's up with you?"

"This is a fanfiction! This whole situation, Yang! Don't you see?" Yang shook her head and smiled.

"Always getting lost in those fanfics, are you? But now that I think about it, the situation really does seem like a fanfic." Yang suddenly grinned.

"Does this mean I get my happy ending?"

"No," came the unwanted answer. The happy mood took a turn, and Ilia and Yang looked at Pyrrha this time. Her viridian eyes were unreadable. Yang's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and suddenly she took offense to Pyrrha's sour mood.

"Hey, what's wrong with you? We're just having a bit of fun," Yang said. She was talking about her and Ilia's banter, but Pyrrha ignored that and focused on the previous topic.

"I think you should stop this before it gets any more than where you're at," the redhead stated quietly. "For gods' sake, you nearly had sex on the… it's the second date, Yang! And even more, you're not even dating her for real!" The rush from her date with Blake a few hours ago was shattered. Why was Pyrrha so pissy tonight?

"What are you talking about, Pyr? We are dating! It's not conventional, of course, but even so, we genuinely do enjoy each other's presence!" Pyrrha stood up, stormy eyes flashing in anger. She was furious.

" _Paid_ dating, Yang. This is a service you're providing for her! She doesn't care about you! Get your _head_ out of her ass, you're better than this!" Yang stood up, slamming her feet against the floor as she walked up to Pyrrha.

"I. Don't. Care." Yang was seething, and she knew her eyes had switched to red and her hair was burning. "I don't know what the hell's gotten into you, Pyr, but you've always supported me from the beginning. Why are you backing out on me now?"

Pyrrha looked at her, fists clenched by her sides.

"I have always supported you, Yang. Since the beginning, and even before that. But here you are making googly eyes at some woman who doesn't give a damn about you, and she's paying for you, buying you clothes-"

"It was just a shirt! She's not even showering me with gifts!"

"That's not the fucking point, Yang!" She barked. Pyrrha closed her eyes and placed her hand on her hip, using the other to rub her temples. The room was eerily tense and quiet.

"When is your next payment," she finally spat out.

"She pays me next-"

"Your arm, Yang. That one." Yang faltered, and she looked at the prosthetic that replaced her right arm.

"Thursday. It's the end of the month."

"And how are you going to pay it?" The question was cruel, but undeniably, it was one that needed to be asked. Yang hung her head, feeling her stomach twist into knots.

"Your paychecks are smaller, aren't they? Can you even make rent?"

"Just give me a few weeks…" Yang whispered, but she was interrupted once more.

"You're going to be dependent on her for the next few… What, months? Years? How much is she paying you anyway? And if she decides one day that you're not up to her liking, now what? If it wasn't for that arm-"

"This is not my fault, Pyrrha! I didn't ask for this!" In the past, Yang might have continued to be angry. Maybe she would have punched Pyrrha and they would go at it as they used to when there was a disagreement. But this fucking hurt. Her arm was not something she liked to talk about, and Pyrrha had crossed the line.

Pyrrha opened and closed her mouth, unsure of what to say now that she had insulted Yang's disability. Yang effectively took over the argument, ready to dish out another verbal beating.

"I don't know what to do, Pyrrha. The future's been bleak for me since I had the accident. You were there. You saw everything. And if I recall correctly, you didn't lose an arm. You bruised a couple of ribs. Ruby got a cut on her cheek and some bruises. You two were so, so lucky."

"Yang…"

"No. I don't wanna hear it tonight. Or ever, really. It was my idea. No one saw it coming. So stop before you start pitying yourself. That's the worst thing you could do right now." Silence. Yang could feel her hair starting to settle, but her eyes were undeniably still angry. In the corner of her eye, she could see that Ilia had practically merged to her round chair, too awkward to take her leave.

"Alright. Have your fun. I'm so sorry for doubting you. I'm going to my room now." Pyrrha brushed past her without another word, and Yang felt her eyes and hair go back to normal. Her left hand trembled and she placed her robot hand on it to keep it still. She took a deep breath, breathing out from her mouth.

"It's okay, Ilia. You can come out. I'm sorry things got heated." Ilia poked her head out and clambered out of the seat. She stood awkwardly to the side, holding her arm and looking away.

"I think… I'm gonna go to bed too. I've got to get up in a few hours anyway, I stayed up for far too long…" Yang waved her hand, and Ilia dipped her head and turned to her room.

The room was a lot quieter now. Empty. Yang wordlessly turned off the TV and folded blankets, fluffed pillows, and cleared the coffee table. She dumped the dishes into the sink, and after a brief moment of thought decided to wash them. She needed to cool off, mainly, but the truth was that she was shaken from the argument. Sure, she had disagreements with Pyrrha before, but nothing ever came out of them except maybe a few curse words and a hug following soon after. Playful wrestling if it was a stupid one.

Out came the kitchen rag and spray, and she wiped down the counters.

Although she believed that Pyrrha was being too harsh with her, there was an inevitable truth to her stance. How was Yang going to pay her next payment when she was already several payments behind? She only had enough for rent and her share of utilities, but nothing more than that. Blake would pay her soon, but not soon enough, and she really didn't want to ask her for payment in advance. And she really did need her motorcycle back. She couldn't keep hiding it at her dad's place from the collectors forever. Her credit was shit, she had nothing in the bank for savings, she was working a low-level job, she-

 _Does this mean I get my happy ending?_

 _No._

She burst into tears and accidentally caused the bottle to squirt out a giant glob of soap. She threw the sponge in the sink and sank to the ground, crouching and crying into her hands. This is not what she wanted. This situation sucked. She'd wasted so many years of her life like this, and even if at first that's what she wanted, she couldn't even get out of this situation anymore. She had a chance to go to college and she didn't take it, even though she had scholarships to several colleges. And the accident…

She popped off her arm and looked at the thing. Images flashed by in her head. A sidewalk. A bridge. Pyrrha and Ruby. A shadow. Screaming. Pushing them out of the way. Her bleeding arm, shattered and nearly detached. Passing out. Waking up. No arm. Doctors, bright lights, Ruby, Pyrrha, her co-workers, Dad, even Zwei. Flowers. Visits from her mother. An apology. An order to leave. Then, emptiness.

She was trapped in here for good. She numbly connected her arm and willed her tears to stop, relishing in that emptiness. She must have fallen asleep on the floor, because the next thing she knew she was awake with a pillow underneath her head and a blanket over her body. A note was placed beside her head, and she sat up and read it.

 _Dear Yang,_

 _I'm sorry about last night. It was unfair of me to attack you like that. It pains me to see you like this, and I let my emotions get the best of me. I know you're doing your best to figure things out. If you want to, maybe we could meet for lunch at A Simple Wok._

 _Your best friend (and cheerleader),_

 _Pyrrha_

* * *

 **A/N:** I updated a bit quicker than usual! Thank you all for being so patient with me. I'll be doing some editing soon. As of now this chapter is unedited.


	5. Two breaths walking

Yang squirmed uncomfortably on the hard, cheap chair. It was too cold in the restaurant, and the fluorescent lights cast a bland, harsh white light over the few customers that remained after the lunch rush. She wish she brought her jacket, but she had mindlessly left it behind Nora's counter since the front desk was rather chilly.

Yang sneezed. Sleeping on the floor last night hadn't been the best idea, even though it wasn't really something she planned on doing, but she wish Pyrrha had at least dragged her ass to the couch, or at least on the carpet. But she couldn't blame her small cold on her friend – after all, she did throw an unnecessary tantrum. Not her best moment, but with the breakdown came an epiphany. When Pyrrha arrived, she'd discuss it with her and hopefully make amends with the red haired woman.

Soon after that thought passed through her mind, she heard the door open and slap close, and in entered none other than Pyrrha, punctual as ever. She sat down and put her bag on the table, apologizing for being late (she wasn't and they both knew it). Green eyes scanned violet ones cautiously. Yang gave a small smile, and reached over to give Pyrrha a small hug over the tiny, creaky table. Pyrrha reciprocated the gesture, and "I'm sorry"s began to tumble out of both their lips. I'm sorry for what happened last night. I'm sorry for being so pushy. I'm sorry, I was out of line. I'm sorry, let's talk about it. Yang especially was sorry. Pyrrha had only been looking out for her as always, and childishly, the blonde had demonized her good intentions to intervene.

Tai had brought up Yang right overall, and one thing Yang knew she needed to do was give a genuine, fresh-faced apology.

"Pyrrha," Yang said, both sitting down now, lunch all but forgotten in the back of their minds. Pyrrha perked up at her name, noticing the tone Yang used. The, I-don't-apologize-often-but-when-I-do-I've-royally-fucked-up tone. The blonde paused and took Pyrrha's hand gently. "I'm really sorry for yesterday. Well, not just yesterday, but really everything." Pyrrha gave her a questioning look, prompting Yang to clarify her vague apology.

"When I mean everything, I mean the thing with Blake, taking you for granted, and the accident. I've come to realize that I've been incredibly selfish lately, and horribly, I made you the target of my frustrations. The thing is… I know now that my relationship with Blake isn't something healthy. You made a good point about that yesterday. The fact is that I'm just a sugar baby. A borderline sex worker. Someone getting paid to be a pretty toy." Pyrrha frowned.

"That's not what I was trying to say-"

"I know, I know just. Hear me out Pyr. I've been trying to make sense of things and form them into coherent sentences." Pyrrha continued to frown, but she nodded and allowed Yang to go on. Yang began to tap the back of Pyrrha's hand, searching for the words to keep going.

"I just know that things aren't right. This isn't how things should be… I used to really take control of my life, you know? And not be so… aimless. I'm wandering through life, not giving a thought about the future. Sometimes I still feel like I've just graduated. I'm stuck, Pyrrha. I'm still stuck. And I don't want to be anymore. My life is so…" Meaningless. A dusty corner in the dark, a crumb on a beige table, a shred of paper on the floor of a public bathroom. Something that existed, but wouldn't be missed – or worse, wouldn't even be noticed. Yang was a nobody.

… But even so… Even so…

"I've made up my mind." Yang straightened up and locked eyes with Pyrrha, her sadness, hurt, and frustration momentarily gone. She had a plan. And she would execute it. But in order for that to happen, she would need to lean on someone and have their support. The one person who had been there for her, who loved her and accepted her, and who knew her pain and broken dreams.

"I want to go to college. I'm going to stop seeing Blake, and I'm going to ask my mother for help with my financial situation. And most of all, I'm going to be a better best friend, because you are the best thing in my life. You are my best friend, and I want to do my best for you." By this point Yang had tears in her eyes. Why was she even crying, she didn't know, but emotions of some sort had gotten the best of her.

Pyrrha gave her a warm, dazzling smile, and she took Yang's hands gently.

"Of course you will, Yang. Because I know that you are destined for great things. I'll be here for you, and I'll do my best for you too. Let's both be better people from now on."

Yang grinned despite her sniffling and red face. It was going to be okay. Everything was okay.

"Thank you, Pyrrha."

* * *

It had been four months since she had been ghosted by Yang Xiao Long. In that time, Blake had acquired a new sugar baby, attended a relative's marriage, started a new hobby (bullet journaling was something she had learned about recently), and unsuccessfully attempted to write a short story. In other words, nothing major had happened with her life.

It was absolutely boring.

Blake evaluated her current lifestyle. It wasn't bad not at all. It was comfortable, she had good friends, a good job. She was a Belladonna.

What a boring person.

She was developing a shopping addiction, and she wasn't doing anything about it. Increasingly she would forget to go without eating until her mother reminded her to come down for dinner. It was often that Blake would forget what day it was, or even what month it was, until she had to look at a calendar.

'Your flight is departing today at 6:25 a.m.'

Her scroll had dutifully sent that message at 4:25 a.m. and she had completely ignored it. It was noon and she was still in bed, wearing a tank top and athletic shorts.

'Who even am I,' she thought. 'Is this how it really is?'

She wish it would all go away. But it wouldn't. It had finally caught up to her, and she couldn't anymore.

Her ear twitched at the sound of approaching footsteps. Her mother.

"Honey? Are you okay? You really didn't want to go?" No.

"Sweetie?" Who?

"Blake!"

Ah.

She had been gone and almost died.

Now she opened her eyes and rolled her head over. Kali shook her head.

"I can't do this anymore, Blake. I don't know what's wrong with you, but I should have done this a long time ago. We need to get you some help."

Sure, Mom. Okay. I just need to lift myself now. Let's go, Blake, get up. Almost there. Now stand up and answer. There we go.

Blake smiled and shook her head swiftly.

"It's okay, Mom. I just didn't feel up to the warm weather. Anyways, I need to work on a project, and later I'm going out with my friend. So don't worry about me." Kali looked at her daughter critically.

"You can't hide this from me, Blake. I'm your mother, and I know something's wrong. You can talk to me, or we can get you a therapist and you can talk to them, just like we used to. Honey, I want you to-"

"It's really okay." It's really not. Leave me alone. I don't need this right now. "I'm fine."

Kali looked worried, but she said nothing more. Blake looked at her expectantly, and her mother soon retreated into the hallway.

 _Ding_.

She opened her scroll and smiled at the preview of the message.


End file.
